


Figs and Pomegranates

by sabrina_il (marina)



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Dancing, Family Feels, Gen, Inspired by Music, Languages, M/M, Music, POV Nile Freeman, عربي | Arabic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25635256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marina/pseuds/sabrina_il
Summary: Nile's favorite times are after a long, difficult job, when they all feel the need to spend time together, sleep in the same house, eat and drink together every day, pair up for trips and excursions.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Nile Freeman & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani & Nicky | Nicolo di Genova & Andy | Andromache the Scythian
Comments: 27
Kudos: 264





	Figs and Pomegranates

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a bit of fluff inspired by thinking about what sort of music Joe would listen to + about Nile settling into the team.

Nile learns that life in the Old Guard happens in cycles. Sometimes weeks or months pass by and they're constantly on alert, traveling, fighting, planning, hiding. 

Sometimes weeks or months pass by, and they go about their languid lives, spending time together, splitting up to do their own things, coming back when a new purpose presents itself. 

Her favorite times are after a long, difficult job, when they all feel the need to spend time together, sleep in the same house, eat and drink together every day, pair up for trips and excursions. 

Andy has a house in Brazil, right on the coast. They can see the beach from the kitchen windows, while Joe is busy making one of Nicky's Italian favorites, homemade pasta with fresh seafood. 

They take turns cooking, preferring to stay in their own little bubble and not let the world in too much, at least for a while, but Nile has learned that Joe somehow always ends up being involved in whatever's happening in the kitchen. Either he's making the food himself (and deciding who is and isn't allowed to help and with what) or he's tossing out ideas, or dropping by to give tips and suggestions if someone else is cooking. 

From someone else it might have been annoying, but he always does it with so much good humor and earnest investment in everyone eating things they enjoy, Nile's never found it a problem. 

Today Andy and Nile are sitting at the kitchen table, drinking chilled guava juice, while Andy goes over one of the ancient battles she still remembers fighting in, explaining the strategy and tactics for Nile's benefit. It's rare that they can get her to share like this, Nicky's told Nile that Andy has been more talkative and generous with her stories since Nile came along than in the century before that. 

Nicky himself spends some time listening to Andy, and then wanders over to Joe, who's got wireless earbuds in, listening to something from the tablet they share for media in the house. From the moment Nile saw it she knew it had to have been set up by Booker, but they don't talk about that. 

As Andy pauses in her story and Nile turns her head to watch, Nicky draw's Joe's attention just as Joe reaches a particular point in the song, and they both quote the lyrics to each other, _hana mash hu al Yaman_ , at the same time, even though Nicky can't hear the music. 

Joe smiles at him, as self conscious as either of them ever gets, which is not much, and Nicky smiles back. 

Joe licks his fingers to clean the drops of sauce they're covered in, and takes out one earbud. His hips are still swaying to a beat. "Too loud?" he asks. 

"Not at all," Nicky says, still smiling. "I just can't believe you're still listening to it. It's not your usual thing." 

Joe's face changes into one of nostalgia and longing. "It reminds me of Aden. You remember the Red Sea?" 

"Even I remember the Red Sea," Andy says, giving them both a rare smile. 

Joe's hips lose the rhythm for a moment, and then change pace, swaying to a different beat. He closes his eyes and grins, before opening them again and singing to Nicky, terribly off key, "Habib galbi waya eayni, eajb min eybk mnny?" 

Nicky laughs. "No one's done that, ayuni." 

Nile looks back at Andy, who looks both annoyed and mildly pleased that she's had to listen to Joe sing terribly to Nicky for hundreds of years. 

"Here," Joe says, looking away from Nicky and walking over to Nile, handing her the other earbud. "You'll like this." 

The music is like nothing NIle's ever heard, not the kind anyone listened to at her high school or that her parents played at home. But the beat is good. It takes her a few moments to realize, she's conversational Arabic now, but the lyrics still don't quite make sense. 

"What is... wait..." she says, trying to focus. 

"It's a form of Arabic they speak in Yemen," Joe explains, putting her out of her misery and walking back to his half-chopped vegetables, hips still swaying. 

"Barely, anymore," Nicky says, eyes on Joe's hips, full of obvious appreciation, and Joe nods, eyes back on his task. 

"What are they saying?" Nile asks, though understanding the words isn't really necessary for appreciating the song. 

"This one is about a man leaving his lover," Joe says, back to chopping. "The previous one was more political." 

Nile understands, now, why Nicky was surprised that Joe's been listening to the songs so much. She's been slowly learning all their tastes and preferences, and Joe usually enjoys music and poetry that's beautiful, about love and nature and the eternal, and not about tragedy or oppression or politics. "Too much of that in our everyday lives," he'd once told her. 

Nile listens, feeling the urge to get up and move to the beat, even though she wants to finish her juice and listen to the rest of Andy's story. 

Nicky smiles at her, and grabs her hand, pulling her out of the chair. He's apparently heard these songs so many times thanks to Joe, he doesn't need to hear them to know the rhythm. 

"There's a lovely dance they do, in the video," Joe says, one corner of his mouth curled upwards as he sneaks glances at Nile and Nicky dancing. 

"Do _not_ start doing the dance," Andy says, sipping her guava juice. 

They listen to more music, until dinner is ready, and Andy shares her story with everyone, with some prodding. For dessert they have Nile's new favorite, homemade passion fruit ice cream. 

In the evening, out in the garden, they do the dance. 

**Author's Note:**

> The songs Joe is listening to in this fic are by the band A-WA, specifically:
> 
> [Habib Galbi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3bjZlmsb4A), from which he quotes the line:  
> "Habib galbi waya eayni, eajb min eybk mnny?"  
> which means  
> "Love of my heart, my eyes,  
> It's a wonder, who has set you against me?"
> 
> The title of the fic is also from the lyrics (which you can see an English translation for at the link! Also in the same video: the dance Joe mentions).
> 
> And [Hana Mash Hu Al Yaman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD90UbVXZSE), from which Joe quotes the title/chorus, which means "this isn't Yemen". 
> 
> I've done my best with transliterating Arabic here, but if you find any mistakes please let me know!
> 
> Also, if you'd like more recs for music in Arabic Joe would likely be into, [I wrote a post about that](https://marina.dreamwidth.org/1537015.html) (+ some general Old Guard meta)!  
> 


End file.
